Is it better for each lawyer in the firm to write their own newsletter or to have one newsletter for the firm with each lawyer contributing thereto?

Having one newsletter means each attorney has less writing to do. Once a week or once a month, each attorney contributes content. That doesn’t sound so bad until one or more attorneys are late and it throws off the entire schedule.

Someone has to coordinate everything and make sure the writing gets done on time. They also have to make sure the contributors don’t duplicate content or contradict each other.

When you do your own newsletter, you don’t have to wait for anyone or be concerned about what someone else says.

The bigger issue, however, is that a firm newsletter brands the firm, not the individual lawyers. That’s okay, but clients hire and refer clients to their lawyer, not the firm. When a client hands out your business card, they say, “Call my lawyer,” don’t they? Not “Call my law firm”.

Think about the purpose of a newsletter. Yes, it is to inform and to stay in touch with clients and prospective clients, referral sources, and others, but more than that, it is to build relationships with them.

You can do that more easily when it is your newsletter, not a group effort.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do all the writing.

You can ask other lawyers in the firm, or outside the firm, to contribute “guest posts,” or you can interview each other. You can also collaborate on longer articles.

A firm newsletter is a great idea, but if you’re inclined to publish one, do it in addition to individual newsletters, not in place of them.

One way to do both is to encourage the individual attorneys to write their own newsletters and periodically submit the “best of” their content for the firm’s newsletter. That way, each attorney can build their own following, while the firm showcases its talent and cross-promotes it to the readers of the firm’s newsletter.

How to build your practice with a newsletter